Ben Edwards vs. Alistair Overeem; Closer Than You Might Think

Within the last two years Alistair Overeem has taken his stock and caused it to sharply spike, creating a legend for himself and winning himself new fans. The starship Ubereem's course can be traced back to a hook that took K-1's badboy, Badr Hari and planted him firmly onto the mat in an act that many K-1 fans thought impossible. Overeem's knockout blow to Badr Hari started a war and a legend, with Overeem jumping right into the K-1 elite mix, with a previously losing record in the kickboxing world. Like it or not, this also helped push forward his MMA career as a legitimate elite level heavyweight in the eyes of many.

The challenge laid before him in K-1 is Ben Edwards, a young fighter from Australia who has made a name for himself on the international level in a hurry. HKL user memitim laid out why Overeem should be careful fighting Edwards, and he is right.

You may not have heard of Ben Edwards. He has been a terror on the Aussie kickboxing scene for a few years now. He is an absolute beast. The 25 year old Edwards hails from Canberra, Australia. He stands at 6' 3" and weighs 254 pounds. In this year's Oceania GP, Edwards set a new K-1 record for the fastest win in K-1 GP tournament history. It took Edwards a total of 3:28 to complete his win, defeating K-1 veteran Paul Slowinski, in 56 seconds in the final bout. In the quarterfinals, Edwards displayed incredible power by knocking out Faisal Zakaria in spectacular fashion with a crushing right.  Edwards style and demeanor in the ring displays no fear as he quickly engages and throws hands, heavy hands. He has gotten better year to year as he works to his strengths in the ring. We have seen Alistair finish opponents with devastating swiftness, but when he is challenged by a hard hitting fighter his chin has shown weakness.

This weekend this builds up to a clash of the titans of sorts, with Alistair Overeem going in as a heavy favorite, but Edwards has momentum after the Australian GP win. Overeem has a lot to lose, as his reputation has been rebuilt as a MMA fighter who was on the K-1 level. A loss to a fighter like Edwards, while not surprising, would be a black mark on his career and possibly end his K-1 run once and for all. For Edwards he has nothing to lose; he is still young and this is his first shot at international glory, as long as he continues to bring it, he'll be around for years to come.

Expect a war and somebody being put to sleep.